You’re living in a city abroad, and you have a free weekend coming up.  Where to go?  Trazzler, a website by the people behind Twitter and Blogger, sets out to answer that question.

A combination of social network and travelogue, it contains user recommendations of where to go and what to do. Trazzler is a cross between Facebook and Lonely Planet. In fact, they already have a Facebook application. They create a traveler profile of you and try to recommend trips you might be interested in, like art museums or adventure treks. The descriptions are a bit light on logistical details (addresses, prices, etc.) because the focus is on the travel experiences. You can also write your trip ideas and post them online.

I think Trazzler is a good place for would-be travel writers to hone their craft, as you’re supposed to capture the feel of a place in fewer than 140 words and provide a good photograph. Some of the pieces on the website are so well-written, they should be in guidebooks.

As the website itself says, you’re free to take your particular obsession, whether it’d be restaurants, hiking spots, etc. and create your own “beat.” Instead of stressing out over pitching topics to a travel editor, you can just do travel writing on your own terms. Trazzler wants to know about the cool places that you’d recommend to your friends. Trazzler’s Writing Guide also makes for an excellent primer on travel writing.